Big Squash

Zucchini make lovely pets!

Freezing

We made lots of wonderful applesauce this fall. We ate the majority right away, storing it in the fridge. But I froze some. Here's a photo of applesauce, blueberry applesauce, and roasted tomato sauce, frozen flat in plastic bags (which saves space in the freezer).

Beans

Yep, this was a good year for beans. I grew Roma and purple green beans, harvesting right up until the weather killed them off. I had plenty to eat, to give away, and freeze. I really miss picking them from the garden just before making dinner. I suppose there's always next year (or maybe a trip to a warmer climate this winter).

Urgent! Cover everything...

Yes, this is a bit early for a frost and a freeze, but Minnesotans cover anything you want to survive tonight and tomorrow night as well. Use cloth (such as blankets and sheets) and not plastic. Since it is windy today, it'd be best to weigh them down. Good luck!

Zucchinni

Zucchini is a thing of beauty. Yes, it is. Here's proof. And it tastes delicious. I have had grilled baby zukes with a little bit of butter. Today I added some diced pieces to spaghetti for lunch. I will freeze some, too. Hint: Pick them small!

What the frass?

Yes, frass. Otherwise known as insect poop. In this case caterpillar poop. Each day about six cabbage moths hang out on my broccoli, and I pick about 14 caterpillars off the leaves. Just as I was about to do something drastic, I observed a wasp on the underside of the leaves. Two frogs are hanging out. When I dropped a small caterpillar to the ground, a group of ants made short work of it. And we've got spiders, too. I've got my own little ecosystem in a veggie patch. I am happy that the insect predators are happy to live there.

Hopi Red Dye Amaranth

This Amaranth is planted near the mailbox and is very difficult to photograph. It's tough to capture the interesting flower stalks and the pop of the red against the backdrop of green. I took several photos, but none seem to do it justice. I am hoping to collect the seeds and re-plant again.

Bright Lights Swiss Chard

Just last night I made stuffed shells with Swiss chard. I feel like it's a healtheir meal with some extra vegetables throw in. And it looks beautiful, too. I added extra basil as well. (Of course! I love basil.) Bright Lights looks beautiful in the early morning light in this photo. Tasty. Healthy. Beautiful. Isn't this why we garden?

Loving Cherry Tomatoes

I planted my tomatoes and peppers late this year due to a vacation. But my cherry tomatoes are ripening. I love how quickly they grow! They are prolific, too.

When to harvest garlic

When should a person harvst garlic? The leaves will brown and wither. Here's a photo as an example. Once the soil dries a bit (we had rain last night), I will gently dig up the garlic bulbs.

Basil

Here is a photo of my basils: cinnamon/Mexican, purple ruffles, blue spice, bush, Siam queen, sweet Dani lemon, lime, and Genovese. I advocate interplanting so you'll see sweet alyssum and marigolds, too.

Beets

This year I planted Golden beets. Delicious!

Copyright

All materials, text, and photos copyright Linda Larson.

Baking Soda?

Thanks to the lovely people at Becker library for a great discussion about gardens. The question came up--what should I do about powdery mildew? Once a plant has it, it's difficult to eradicate. Of course, the best defense is prevention, meaning give plants plenty of air circulation. Sunlight helps, too. Also, plant varieties that are resistant. An alternative is homemade baking soda spray. With any concoction, test first. Really. According to OrganicGardening.com, "Spraying leaves with baking soda (1 teaspoon in 1 quart water) raises the pH, creating an in hospitable environment for powedery mildew." Good luck!

P. S. The posts here have been slow lately due to a long vacation and a nasty virus.

Moss Garden

It's tough to get a good photo of the moss garden, which is on the east side of my house. The only sun it gets is dappled morning light. When I decided to do something (anything!), the only thing that looked good was the moss that grew naturally. So I laid down a thick layer of newspaper, covered it with dirt. Using chunks of moss from that same area, I laid them on top. I did water pretty regularly that first year. For added interest, we've added medium rocks, stepping stones, and a shredded wood chip path. I weed twice a year--early spring and fall. The maintenance is easy and it looks good, like living velvet..

Should I plant tomatoes now?

While it is true that the nighttime temps are predicted to be in the 50s F in our area, here are a few things to consider before planting tomatoes and other warm weather crops. First, how wet is the soil? With all this rain, some yards are still mushy. If the soil is too wet, roots can rot. Second, how warm is the garden spot? Some places are very warm with a protected southern exposure; others are open and exposed. You could plant if the soil is warm, and you are confident that frost won't be coming around again. Third, do you have a protection system? This could be store-bought or homemade, but a cold frame or some other device to capture and keep heat can push the starting date of the season. At my house, I am not planting my tomatoes yet. I like to think of them as tropical plants, plants that love heat and humidity, and we just haven't had that yet.

Hyancinth

Yes, we really did see snowflakes on May 1 and May 2. My sister who lives farther north had snow on the ground. Our flakes here melted as they hit the grass, though a few stray ones lingered on the back deck. However, the hyacinths and the daffodils are blooming and holding up against the cold and wet and wind.

Snow and Blooming Squill

Saturday morning I woke up to snow on the ground. Yet that wasn't stopping the Siberian squill that I planted in October. It pushed up through the snow. Now the plants are above ground and about to burst into bloom, even though the temps have only warmed into the 40s F (normal highs this time of year are about 60F), and we have another winter storm predicted for this area. Ah, Minnesota. This winter has gone on too long. I do have some lettuce and peas planted, though I am not sure this weather is very helpful for them. This weekend temps are predicted to be in the 50s, so that will help.

Crocuses and Homemade Cold Frame

Okay, I am not handy or crafty. My talents revolve around words, so keep that in mind as you look at my homemade coldframe. It is two bendable squares of trellis covered with fabric floating row cover. The frames are clipped together with plastic clips on the inside, and then the fabic is attached on the ourside with clothespins. It's not elegant, I know, but the fabric is easily raised to let off heat. The two pieces sit side by side, so I can remove one if needed. I could not find a coldframe that would fit my garden bed size, so I had to create my own. Necessity is indeed the mother of invention. Also, the crocuses are blooming. These photos are from a few days ago. Happy spring!

No Fooling

Yes, it's April Fool's Day. However, it is true that some of the daffodils are about two inches out of the ground. Since I live in the woods, I may be a few days behind everyone else, but I am happy and soooooo ready for spring.

First Sign of Spring?

Yesterday as I wandered around the gardens, I saw the first tips of daffodils poking through the ground. Many parts of my yard and the woods still have snow on the ground, and now we are predicted to get between three and five inches of snow in the next twenty four hours. Those daffodil tips will be covered in snow tomorrow morning, but the daffodils are like Minnesotans...we never give up!

Upcoming Appearances

I have two Minnesota gardening presentations coming up. Check out "The Kitchen Garden" at Cold Spring Library on Thursday, March 10 at 6:30 pm. And I'll be at Waite Park Library at 6:30 pm on April 28th for ways on how to convert from conventional to organic gardening.

Seed Ordering Time

Yes, indeed, it is time to order seeds. In fact, it may be too late for the limited varieties, considering that other parts of the country have earlier springs, though you wouldn't know it today with the Midwest blizzard covering many states. We're "lucky" to have only a few inches of snow, though we have brutally cold windchills today in my area of Minnesota. My plan is to narrow down what to order this year. And I have lots of seed catalogs from which to choose. Don't worry about all that paper, though; the seed catalogs I don't use I give away during my gardening presentations.

"Winter Interest"

After sleet, ice, wind, and inches and inches of snow,I am here to report the complete obliteration of any "winter interest" I have in the garden. Yes, I really tried, leaving some interesting seed heads. And I didn't trim back a few perennials. Now the stems have been knocked over. The smaller plants are buried. I see tall tree trunks and bare branches with a whole lot of snow covering the ground. So, to all those garden experts who give advice to the warm climate gardeners about how to make the garden look interesting during the slow season, don't forget about us cold climate gardeners. There's nothing wrong about not having any "winter interest" except for the large amount of frozen precipatation on the ground. In fact, this is the best time to plan for spring. That snow makes a perfect blank slate.